Whether children grow out of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is hugely influenced by their genes, according to a study of twins that suggests many sufferers will need to stay on drugs into adulthood.
Experts said genetic tests would, in future, identify children prone to long-term hyperactivity, while reassuring others that their symptoms were likely to lessen with age.
Parents were told that a child’s improvement may be nothing to do with their own efforts, and were reassured that a lack of progress would not be their fault. The findings come amid unease among doctors over the indiscriminate use of hyperactivity drugs such as Ritalin, with prescriptions for the drug tripling in a decade.
Research had suggested that ADHD had a big genetic element, but